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Toy time

I wouldn't say this Gary Fisher Cobia is trash; but it sure has become my treasure. A rider from the Gainesville Cycling Club posted online that he had this ride for sale, and I could barely believe it. I've been looking for a used 29er (29" wheels) with a suspension front end and hardtail rear frame. And, when this beauty became available with a 19" frame - my size - I almost soiled my pants.

A couple of days later it's mine. Don't want to say what I paid, but it was the right price for me. And the seller threw in SPD pedals and a spare rear rim, so I feel quite flush at present.

Other stuff to tell you: Sent out an email to three good friends, all of whom have been living the endurance lifestyle for over 25 years. Check out my solicitation and their responses.

Q: What makes the four of us so regimented in our endurance sport activities? We're all into this thing over 25 years. What keeps it going? Why do we persist? Most others we started with are long gone, on the golf course or the couch...pondering...

A:

"

I once read that you need to really love something to put this much effort in to it when you know you are not going to make any money at it. But the real return, in addition to having fun, is in the long-term health benefits."

A: "Self esteem, pride in knowing I may not be whatever, but at least I'm not a sluggard. Fear of the big men's section at the clothing store. Stress reliever, health concern, model for children to live a healthy lifestyle."

A: "It's when I feel the most alive. When I'm moving, I feel at home. Probably like the guy on the golf course. can't imagine life without it."

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(Disclaimer: I am a Brooks-supported athlete; as part of that relationship, I was provided a complimentary copy of "Eat & Run")

I was recently on a few flights making my way home to Wisconsin and en route was able to plow through Scott Jurek's new book "Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness."

It's a fast, enjoyable read. I've been around the ultra scene for a long time and have known some of the greats, i.e. ultra champ Eric Clifton. So it's always interesting to see how the world looks from another icon's point of view.

My thoughts in no particular order:

1) I've been vegetarian/borderline vegan for 12 years and have always been concerned with protein intake. Jurek advocates for the protein he naturally induces through his plant-based diet. Maybe that is enough. Maybe it's not necessary to bang down 100+ grams of protein supplement every day. Good info and good advice.

It's been a long time since I've been active on my blog. To be honest, I got tired of putting in the work, creating content, with so little feedback or response. Time to divert to other things...such as my new fiction book, coming out soon. Part horror story, part steamy romance. You'll definitely want a copy.

There's another reason I haven't been posting. My endurance spirit is broken.

Some medical issues, some sadness is loss of speed. I don't have much range left in my pulse rate and I have put on a blob of weight.

I "ran" my 10 mile loop this morning...in 2:18. Is that ugly, or what? An overall fatigue follows the run. I remember a few years ago, I'd bang it out in straight 9's for a 1:30 - and at that time had a long section of medium effort trail included, too.

It's the new normal. It's age appropriate. I'll be 59 in two weeks. Let's get real.

Rode my mountain bike Sunday after church. Don't know what I hit but I went…

You have to look closely (click and enlarge photo if needed), but when you do, check out the 5th metacarpal (bone furthest from thumb).

The diagonal break is symbolic of what happens when your mountain bike handlebars snap around 360 degrees, and those bars catch your hand against the bike frame during the rotation.

Well there you have it. I got up after my ride over the bars and knew something was wrong, but didn't want to admit it. Rode about three miles back to the car, then went a week with some ice and heat. Thought it was good, until I smacked the same bone on the bars during a road ride the following weekend.

Time to stop the charades and get to urgent care.

For the past three weeks, I have been in a formed splint that kept the pinkie and ring fingers immobilized in a hooked formation. Don't want those tendons to move across the bone. As the doc stated, it's a "forgiving" break, but nonetheless you don't want to give the bone any excuse to shift; that…